Nabitoko Sohma
by castielslittlebitch
Summary: All Nabitoko "Nabi" Sohma wants is the curse to broken, but that would mean that she would die. In the middle of all of this, she meets a girl called Tohru Honda. Rated M for strong language.
1. Running Away

I went over to Shigures a few days ago, and he told me cheerfully that some girl was staying with them until she graduated from high school. She wasn't Sohma; she was a Honda. I asked him why on earth would he let her, a human girl who wasn't cursed, stay with them. He didn't answer me.

I caught a glimpse of her at her school. I dropped out long ago, but I just wanted to observe her, see what she was like. She's an idiot. She's oblivious to everything, she doesn't know anything about guys, and she is way too sunny to be normal. I can't

believe she even has friends like those two girls I saw. One was all dark and gothic, and the other didn't look too shabby...until she talked. She was all Yankee and all. But, really...Yuki and Kyo acutually have feelings for this bimbo?

I saw Haru at the school too, and he saw me, so he calmly yelled out my name in the empty hallway. (It was after the bell had rung, so he would've been late for his class.) "Nabi!" I sighed, then turned to face him. Rin was defentily lucky to get this guy. At

least, I tihnk they were still going out now. I didn't exactly live near any of the rest of my family. "Yeah Haru?" He walked up to me and said "Haven't seen you a while. Where've you been?" He had placed his hand on my shoulder. I hated touch. I shrugged it off, then said while turning around to walk away "Who really cares?" I was halfway down teh hallway when he yelled "You should meet her, y'know. Swing by Shigures today later and go and introduce yourself." I stopped, then turned back to him and said, scorn clear in my voice "Yeah...right. She's a freak, and she's not normal. At least, she's a freak for a human with no curses binding her to a...a god. There's no way in hell that I'm going to meet her." I then turned again and left the school, leaving Haru staring after me. What an idiot he was sometimes.

I stopped by a resturaunt and ordered gunkan-maki, which I love. And that's when I heard the most annoying persons voice say from behind me "Ah! Is that...could that be...could it be Nabitoko Sohma?" The most annoying person in the world sat next to me on my left, as there was some old man sitting to my right. I continued to eat my gunkan-maki, not even acknowledging the most annoying person in the world who was sitting next to me. He sighed dramatically, then said "Ah...Nabi. Perhaps she has grown deaf to the voices of the innocent angels that call her name in a crowded resturaunt, full of old men and bouncy, energetic childeren."

"Ayame. Stop it. Now." I said, my voice with an edge hidden in it.

Ayame sighed again, then said to the waitress who was serving behind a counter "My dear, I would simply love to eat a dish of daifuku, so that my day may even be more full of love and sunshine," The waitress looked a bit confused, and then I said in a bored tone "He want's daifuku." She then nodded and went back into the kitchen, probably to tell someone the order.

"Whatya want from me, Ayame?" I didn't call any one of the Sohma family by stupid nicknames they had. That is, the ones that I rarely ever did see. "No, this was a total coincedence, Nabi-chan! I simply walked into this very cozy-looking resturaunt and saw you sitting ehre, at this very counter, looking quiete lonley and antisocial. I then proceeded towards you with my very graceful steps, and the we began to speak to one another." I stopped eating my gunkan-maki, then face him and said in a cold voice "Don't call me that. I hate it."

"Okay, then Nabi it is from now until the end of our young, youthful, fresh lives. When the sun sets on this very day, me, you, and Yuki will all watch it on the southeren beaches, and each of us will be trapped in a tight embrace, until the moon rises and is highest in the sky. Then we shall- ah, thank you very much for bringing the deliscious dish of daifuku. I will enjoy it to the most fullest degree!" He said to the waitress, who nodded and bowed a little towards him.

"Have you met Tohru yet? She is such a cutie, is she not? She'll be at Shigures today and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and so on." Ayame said while

slowly and carefully eating his daifuku. Everytihng's now about Tohru, the human girl. It had used to be all about Akito, and now it's about Tohru. I smirked at the thought. Oh, Akito must've been pissed when Tohru came.

"I don't want anything to do with that girl. She makes me sick with her idiocy."

"How would you know if you've never met her?"

"I saw her at school! Wait...why...why am I even talking to you?"

"Maybe you have become entranced by my luscious, silver locks. Or maybe it's

my alluring, violet eyes that have stolen your heart."

I stood up, dropping my chopsticks in my food. "I have no heart, and you know that!" Why did he have to bring that up almost everytime we barely talked? He was now giving me a slight migrane. Others usually can't withstand Ayame, but somehow I can. It's like I'm resiliant to all of that stupid energy he has in him. I instantly saw some emotion light up in his eyes, and then he said "I'm sorry, Nabi. I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did. Yes, you did."

What was wrong with me? Why was I suddenly a horrid person? And he was even apoligizing, which is a moment to videotape and keep forever. What was I doing?

"Everyone often says they're sorry to me because apparantly they did something to me. But they're just telling me how they feel about me in a nice view. All of you really hate me, don't you? All of you want me dead, 'cuz with me dead all of you are free!"

I hadn't realized it, but I was shouting at him in a dead-silent restuaurant full of people who didn't even know what was going on. I'm sure that everyone was staring at me, but I didn't care. I was full of red-hot anger, and I was about to lash out on Ayame, who, by the way, looked stunned at me.

"All of you want me dead, don't you? You want me gone, out of all of your sad, fucking lives, don't you? Well, I'm sorry that I was fucking born!"

I then stormed outta there and ran for it.


	2. Akitos Anger

"What the hell did I just do?" I asked myself as I ran. I was such a coward, such a freak, such a monster.

I didn't know where I was even running, but I just wanted to be away from anyone associated with the Sohma family. My family made me sick. I hated all of them, but mostly I hated Akito. No one but me, Ren, Akito, and Shigure knew Akito was a woman, but she's just like her mother; horrible, cruel, twisted, and deranged.

I soon found myself in the woods, and I slowed to a walk, my legs screaming out. I didn't know where I was, and that was a good thing. I hoped that no one was there with me. I went over to a boulder and sat on top of it, leaning against the tree that was ironically there.

I was stuck in the same room with Akito, the god of all of us. I hate you, I wanted to scream at her. But my mouth was frozen as she traced my faces features with her delicate hands. She then roughly smacked my face, causing a fire to start in my right cheek. "You are such a freak," she said in that slippery voice of hers.

I wanted to get up and leave her alone, but my legs wouldn't obey my thoughts. She grabbed my face with both her hands and said in her liquid voice "We are supposed to be close, right? And I believe we are very close. But you'll need to behave yourself, or you'll get stuck in a dark, cold room..." The threat hung in the air, and she smiled.

Her sharp nails then raked both of my cheeks, causing blood to slowly spill. But I couldn't move away from her. I was stuck kneeling to the floor in front of the god of the zodiac. How stupid.

"Do you know why we are so close, Nabi?" She asked me in her honeyed voice.

I didn't answer her.

"Because you are the Bond between me and my animals. So thank you for restricting their freedom so much. Thank you," She breathed, and then she slapped me on my scratched-up cheek. Hard. "Now leave, you filthy bitch."

I gasped, straightening up while still sitting on the boulder. I must've been spacing

out, like I usually do. I jumped off the rock and headed straight ahead of me, having no idea where I was going.

After what seemed to be forever I arrived at a road. Across from me was a small cafe, so I headed into it. I wanted to find out where I was, then head to Shigures, where I was staying for a few days. Inside, there was a few tourists from America and London, so I had no idea what they were saying. I went over to where a worker was standing behind the counter, and I asked "Do you know where this is?" The guy nodded, then took out a map from behind the counter and pointed to a dot, then said "We're here."

"Do you know where the Sohma property is from here?" I asked. The guy looked at me like I was crazy, then said "Um...it should be around here somewhere." He circled his finger around a large area on the map, then I thanked him and left, the route memorized in my brain.

I stood before the main houses gates, then started to turn away when I heard an old ladies voice say "Nabitoko. Akito has missed you. He would love to see you." I

turned and saw an old maid standing there, her face full of wrinkles of age. I had no choice but to go with her. Akito would literally attempt to kill me if I didn't go with her. I bet he was watching.

I was kneeling in front of Akito, and then she said "I've missed you so much, Nabi. Why haven't you come to visit me?" Silence. She looked me in the eyes, then she

said scornfully "Sickening. That's what you are. A freakish monster who acts as a jail guard for my zoo of animals." She scraped my face slowly with her nails, just as she had done that one time, a long time ago...I always dreamed about it, always daydreamed about it, always would remember it... I heard Akito laughing, and I

turned to face my god. "Hahaahaha! You're so pathetic, Nabi! You're so stupid, just like that cow Haru! But he's probably the stupidest out of all of my animals."

She went on about how stupid we all were, and then she went on to starting to insult Tohru Honda. "She's a ugly little bitch, isn't she? Not too smart either...hehe..Yuki and Kyo think that she can heal them somehow, don't they, Nabi? They're so stupid. No wonder they're a stringy rat and a monsterous cat." She then traced my lips with her light fingertips, then said softly "Why aren't you talking to me today, Nabi? I l

ove it when you talk to me. It makes me feel happy when you get that desperate kinda tone in your voice. It makes me breathless."

"Go to hell, Akito." I finally said, my anger overcoming me.

"What did you just say to me?"

"Go. To. Hell. You. Arrogant. Bitch." I said more slowly, to allow the words to sink in.

In one fluid motion she was up, her hands against my throat, my back pressed against the thin wall. "I AM YOUR GOD! NOW APOLOGIZE!" Akito grabbed a jar and smashed it into my face, the glass pieces piercing my skin at the touch. I was knocked down at the impact. All I could think was, Oh crap she's really angry at me. Akitos hands returned to my throat, squeezing hard on my necks sides. "Do it," I managed to choke out. "Do it and your animals are set free from the zoo." Her eyes shone with a manical light, and I could hear the door sliding open and maids came flooding in,

trying to soothe Akito out of her blind rage. All I saw was Akitos face, close to mine, eyes full of hate. Akito then turned her head towards the maids and screamed at them to get out, to get away from us. Her hands had never felt harded to me then they felt now.

The maids could do nothing but submit to Akitos orders and leave, though a few looked sympthathetic and slightly worried for me. Guess they had no idea what I was. I felt so weak. And suddenly, suddenly I was a tiger cub bieng choked by a furious god. I transform into any of the zodiac animals, as I am the Bond itself between them and the god. I usually turn into a tiger, as that is my zodiac sign.

"APOLOGIZE NOW!" She yelled at me, squeezing my throat tighter now.

I couldn't breathe.

"APOLOGIZE!" She thundered again.

I thought I saw Hatori come in, or maybe it was Kureno...maybe it was no one...but I didn't care. I couldn't breathe. And then there was black.


	3. Tohru Honda

I opened my eyes and saw a white cieling. No surprise there. I heard an irratating beeping sound, and I realized I was in the friggn' hospital. "Crap," I breathed.

"Crap is right, Miss Sohma." A doctor I hadn't seen standing there spoke up, making me jump out of my skin. "You are a very lucky girl, Miss Sohma. Your neck

is badly bruised, your head was bleeding badly when you arrived here, and your face was deeply scratched. You've been here for two and a half days." I cursed in my head. Two and a half days? That's ridicolous! And why couldn't Hatori have done

something with me besides hipping me off to the hospital? Oh yeah...'cuz the whole zodiac hates me. "You've been kept unconcious by morphane and other drugs, so you might be feeling a bit weird now." That's probably why I forgot the whole zodiac-hates-the-Bond thing. "This sucks," I said out loud. I heard the doctor chuckle, then he said in a strange voice "Well, I would say that too if I were you."

I waited till he left, then sat up slowly. My gut was killing me for some reason. Oh, right; unconcious for two and a half days means no food. Got it.

I ripped the tubes out of my skin, which hurt like hell, and then I made a run for it. The morphane didn't help me at all. But, somehow, I managed to get out the window and run like Rin does, fast and quick.

I reached Shigures house in what seemed to be a heartbeat, then I silently snuck in, praying to God that Shigure didn't see me in my hospital gown. That would be humiliating for me, for a pervy relative to see me like this. I snuck into 'my' room,

then I shut the door and changed my clothes. I had already placed my stuff there before I moved in. I threw the gown into the garbage can and shoved it in, and then I looked myself in the mirror. I looked...pale. Paler then usual. My black hair was a mess that reached my elbows. My forehead and cheek were bandaged heavily. My throat was tattooed with purple, brown, and blue bruises. I could still feel her hands around my throat...cold and icy at the touch, yet hard and dangerous in the wrong places.

I headed outside and sat on a stone bench, attempting to get over the morphane still within my system.

I then heard a sweet, soft voice from behind me gasp, and then I slowly turned and saw her. Tohru Honda. "What the hell do you want?" I asked in a black tone, my mood a

nd the morphane not really helping me sound good.

She just stared at me, then she said in a sunny tone "Oh, hello! I am Tohru Honda!

I'm staying here until I graduate from high school!" She then looked at me with those moist, brown eyes of hers, and then she asked "And who are you?"

"Ask your ass, bit-"

"What the hell are you doin' here?"

I saw Kyo walk in the scene, orange eyes fixed on me like I was the target. He walked next to Tohru, then repeated himself, this time in a more threatening tone. Heh, like a freakn' cat could threaten me. "I'm staying here, Mr. Kitty. You got a problem with that then you can go fuck yourself."

"You're...you're what?" Kyo asked. I smirked smugly, then said "I'm

staying here with you and Yuki and Shigure and Tohru, you stupid cat. Now, if that's an issue for you, I honestly don't care."

Dinner that night was...awkward. Tohru was bieng stupidly oblivious, Kyo was shooting me and Yuki death looks, and Yuki was shooting Shigure, me, and Kyo

death looks. I was firing death looks at everyone, and I barely ate any of the food. Shigure was silently eating, and then suddenly he asked me "Nabi! When exactly did you get here? And who invited you here, anyway?" Then all hell broke loose at the table.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Shigure?"

"I can't believe you invited her here!"

"Eh?...Eh!"

"She almost called Tohru ('eh!') a bitch, Shigure!"

"Don't even start on that, kitty."

"You call me that one more time, I will rip your head off."

"Don't even think about starting too, rat."

"I think we should all just calm down and enjoy our meal..."

"No! I will not calm down, when she just appears out of nowhere!"

"Wh-what's going o-on h-here...eh!"

"I bet Kyo brought Nabi here...he is, after all, the stupid cat."

"You are SO friggn' dead, you girly man!"

"Childeren, really...is this all necessary..."

"YES!" That'd be me, Kyo, and Yuki, all three of us saying it in synch.

And, of course, Tohru was only saying those stupid 'eh's and stuttering.

"Actually, Nabi...I was meaning to ask you this...but were you in a gang fight again?" Obviously Shigure. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The room

then suddenly went silent, as if everyone wanted to know what happened to me.

"It was him." I said, then I stood up and walked away to 'my' room, leaving them in thier stunned silence.


	4. Gunkan Maki

The next morning, the entire house was silent. That was good. I usually woke up early anyway, so the places I stayed in were usually silent. I walked into the kitchen and

saw her there, cooking or doing whatever she was doing. It looked like she was cooking, anyway.

"Good morning, Nabi-chan!" She said in her cheerful voice.

"Don't call me that." I said softly. I could almost hear thier voices in my head again, calling my 'Nabi-chan' and 'Nabi-san'. It sickens me, to think about them like that...to hear their voices again and again...

"Then how is Nabi-san?" She asked me, still cooking. Ugh, no. That was

even worse then the other one. "How 'bout just Nabi, okay?" I said through gritted teeth.

Ugh, I had to get this anger thing under control some day soon!

"Well, then, do you want some breakfast?"

"No. I only eat dinner."

"Really? How do you live the day with only one meal?"

"I've gotten used to it."

Silence, just like last nights awkwardness. She then sunnily asked "What do you want for dinner tonight, Nabi? You can choose." Man, this girl just doesn't know when to give up and quit on people, does she?

"Y'know how to make gunkan-maki?"

"Oh! Yes! I can make that perfectly!"

"Thanks."

Tohru blushed deeply, then said "No, no! It's really no problem at all!"

Maybe I should...no. I've just met her. No way am I just gonna crack like an egg and open up like that. What is wrong with me?

Dinner, this time, wasn't too bad. It wasn't horrible as last night had been, but it was still like a cold wind was blowing in the room. It didn't help when Shigure said... "Tomorrow, be expecting to see Momiji, Haru, Kisa, and Hiro. I invited them over to spend the day with us!" Tohru looked thrilled, but didn't she always? Kyo suddenly looked pumped up, and I guessed it was because of Haru. Maybe they could finally finish thier fight this time...? Yukis emotions weren't painted on his face, and Shigure was...well...he was bieng Shigure.

"Is Ayame coming?" I asked. Yuki and Kyo suddenly looked horror-struck. Tohru had a blank expression now. Shigure was silent, then he said "Well...I could make the arran-"

"NO!" Yuki, me, and Kyo said all together. How many more times was that gonna happen? Shigure looked defeated, so he then said "Fine, fine. I won't call him up and invite him. But it won't be a party without him here..."

If Ayame came, then I'd have to apologize to him. And I hated confrontations.

At night, Tohru was washing the dishes, furiously scrubbing away with bubbly soap and a dark blue sponge. I walked in on her, and she must've heard me because she said "Hello Nabi! What can I do for you?" She sounded like a friggn' robot.

"So. They've got you as thier maid."

"Well, when I got here, this house was a mess! So I'm the cleaning force around here." She then put on a fierce, warrior-like face, then she smiled brightly and said "Are you still hungry? There's leftovers in the fridge if you want some."

There was a silence, and then I slowly asked "Do...do you know...something about...the Sohma family?" She stopped washing, then looked at me and said sincerely "Yes. I know about the whole zodiac thing." I stepped closer to her, my heart pounding. Part of me screamed, No! Don't do it, Nabi! The other part of me screamed out, Do it, Nabi! Show her who you are!

She continued to wash the dishes, and then I leaned over the counter and shut off the water. She looked up at me in surprise. 'Wha-" I went around the counter and hugged her close to me, then felt the transformation take place.

I looked up at her, seeing her shocked look. "It's okay. You can be surprised. But I'm not the true tiger." Her brown eyes were large and round, like dishes. I then hugged her again, wrapping my front legs around her legs. This time I transformed into a black snake, and she looked even more surprised.

"This is me. I'm sure you've been wondering what zodiac member I am."

And so, I repeated the cycle; hug Tohru and change from form to form. I even changed into a sea horse, which caused her to panic and place me into the soapy sink that was half full of water. It didn't feel too good, especially with all the chemicals in the water.

The last time I hugged her, I turned into a horse. I looked at her with my deep eyes, then said "Please. You don't hafta be scared of me. I know I'm a freak..." What was I doing? Was I...was I opening up to her? Impossible! I don't just crack open like that! Maybe...maybe Akito had been wrong when she had said that Tohru couldn't heal Kyo and Yuki. She had healed me a little, so why couldn't she heal them both?

I finally transformed into my human form, naked and cold.

"Please..." I felt tears spill from my eyes. Tears from my right eye fell onto my bandages, making them soggy but I didn't care. Tohru smiled an understanding, soft smile, then she held me close.

"How...how can you do this?" I asked her though my tears. "How can you love a souless freak like me?"

Tohru Honda smiled at me again, then said "You are beautiful and full of life. You are not a freak." She then gave me a towel to wipe my face, then she said, still holding me close "Hey, do you want to have some more gunkan-maki, Nabi?"

"That would be fantastic, Tohru."

She went over to the fridge while I got changed in the kitchen. By the time I was done she had taken out the gunkan-maki and was heating it up. "I'm not sure if you like it heated or not. Some people like thier food cold."

"No, heated's fine. I hate cold food unless it's icecream."


	5. Apology

The next day, just as Shigure said, Haru, Hiro, Momiji, and Kisa all came to the house, bright and early. Haru went straight for Yuki, and both Momiji and Kisa went straight to Tohru, who looked like she was about to die from thier hugs because she couldn't breathe. Hiro just waited for Kisa to stop hugging Tohru. Shigure then said "Oh yes, one more person will be coming today!"

"Crap," Kyo muttered, already knowing who it was. That's when I jump attacked Shigure, hitting him in the jaw.

"You didn't."

Shigure rubbed his jaw, then said "I needed to have someone here for me too, so I invited Ayame here for dinner."

"Crap," Yuki said.

"Or maybe I told him to come a little before that...ah, who knows!"

Most of the day I just stayed in my room and read all of Shigures pervy books. Most of them were crappy and should've been censored completely, but one or two of them were pretty good. That's probably 'cuz I was half-asleep while reading them and I was skipping around between the chapters.

I ventured out of my room into the kitchen just in time to see Yuki being harassed by none other then Ayame. My life was at an end. I had to confront him. Now, of all times and days to do so. In front of everybody...sorta.

I went outside and walked towards him. He saw me, then smiled cheerfully and said "It is none other then the great Nabitoko Sohma!"

"Ayame...please stop," I said in a soft voice. I can't believe he was acting as if nothing had happened between us in a public place.

"I need to say something to you right now."

Ayame stopped and looked me in my eyes. "If you're going to-"

"No. Stop. Please...let me say just this, and then you can ridicule me."

I started again, this time more confident in myself.

"At the resturaunt...I was bieng a horrible bitch to you. I shouldn't have said what I did but now it's too late to take my own words back. I know I hurt you, and I know that I'm a coward. But...look, what I'm trying to say is...is that I'm really sorry."

Ayames face was blank for a moment, and then he said "Now that you have been forgiven for your sins, we may now look up and gaze at the stars together." He put his left arm around me and dramatically pointed at the starry night sky with his right hand.

"Yuki, come join us so we may all stare at the starry night of gleaming wonders together so that our friendship and brotherhood may strengthen under the moonlight."

Ayame then grabbed his brother and wrapped his right arm around him and said "Now we shall always be together, gazing up at the stars."


	6. Broken

**aaahh...I'm happy to give you all the 6th part of my fruits basket story!**

**It's been about three months since all of that stuff happened. But today...today I felt weird, especially around Momiji. I felt the exact way when Kurenos curse broke...maybe Momiji's free from the curse. I hope so, for his sake. **

**I've been going to the school lately (the one where basically everyone goes to) and todaqy I didn't like myself. I felt like Akito was using me like a puppet, support coming from a bunch of flimsy strings. I went up to Momiji to talk to him about some school work, and when I reached him it felt like a massive wave of cold fire was washing over me slowly. I stopped a foot away from him, overtaken by the cold feeling. "Are...are you..." Momiji smiled, then said "What would you do if I told **

**you that my curse had broken?" **

"**I...I would...I would be happy...for you," I said in a pained voice. My head was starting to hurt. This had all happened when Kurenos curse had broken. This meant that... "Akito." I breathed, leaning against the wall for support. **

"**I'm planning on telling him later. Maybe I'll do it today after school," **

**Momiji turned to leave, but then I said "Momiji..." He turned around and waited for me to say something. "Congratulations...on bieng free..." He nodded, then came closer to me and said "I'm sorry that I'm causing you pain, Nabi." He then turned to leave **

**for whatever he had next. I was left leaning heavily against the wall with my arms.**

**Everything hurts so much right now. Recently, Hiro's curse has broken. I was at Shigures house in my room when it broke. I don't know what happened, but the next thing I saw was the white cieling of the hospital. The doctor, knowing all of my escapes, said to not to escape this time, because apparantly most of my organs were failing slowly, and I had suddenly blacked out in Shigures house. **

**I didn't have to wonder why I was slowly dieing. It was obvious that the curse, teh so-called 'bond' was breaking. Which meant that I was breaking too. I hoped Akito was okay with all of this. Since this would probably be the last time she saw the rest of the Sohma 'cursed' part of the family, I would've thought that she would try to make an impression on them. I then doubted that she would do such thing.**

**And then, in one day, thier curses all broke, one by one. It was excrutiating for me, and yet hopeful for them. I heard that Tohru and Kureno had been admitted to the same hospital I had been in for some strange reasons; Kureno had been stabbed, and Tohru had fallen off a cliff. The acts are written with the word Akito on it. Actually, she came to see me today, which slightly terrified me. She sleathily walked into my room silently, like a black cat. **

"**Nabi. How are you?" She asked me in a sincere voice. **

**I was struck dumb. Last time we had met, she had choked me and had tried to kill me.**

**And now she was asking me if I was okay?**

"**I've been better."**

"**I know that you're in deep pain right now, so don't try to cover it all up."**

"**Mmhhh...looks like I'm gonna die soon, aren't I?"**

**Silence from Akito. Was that...was that remorse in her eyes?**

"**Have you seen Tohru or Kureno yet?" I asked, guessing she already had. **

"**They've both been released from this building. It was only a few minutes ago that they were released."**

**Oh. So I would never see them both ever again. **

"**Nabi...I'm sorry. I was the worst to you...and I know that I've done such horrible things to you...but I'm sorry." **

**An...apology...from...Akito?**

"**I've scarred you in ways that can't be described. I thought that I could play around with you like a puppet on strings. I'm so sorry."**

**Akito was apologizing. To me. The Curse itself. **

"**Stop," I said, cutting her off from her next apology. "Don't, Akito. I understand completely. I get it that you've changed over a period of time from some force. I know that you're sorry for everything that you've done. But...I'm sorry too."**

**Akito looked stunned. I drew a breath, then said "We've all, during this time, treated you like dirt, and that wasn't right. Even though you did those things to us, we still should've been acknowledging that you existed. But we didn't. Instead, we were all terrified of those random events of whenever you came. We were all scared of when we had our little 'sessions' with you in your room at the Main House. We all hated you for what you did to us...but that was because we didn't understand you. And for that...I'm the sorry one." **

**Silence from both me and Akito. And then suddenly...it felt like something was pusing itself on my chest, not allowing me to breathe. The cold fire returned, burning my alive with such an icy coldness it almost would've felt good if I weren't in a hospital, dieing. **

**I saw Akitos face grow worried, then I saw her turn towards the door and scream out something. Maybe it was 'help' or 'doctor'. I'll never know. **

**Everything got hazy, peoples faces growing faded into the dreamily hazy light. Thier words were all warped and twisted into strange, deep sounds that sounded like a whales song in slow motion. It was very strange, and yet calming somehow. **

**I think Akito was forced to leave, though I think she didn't want to leave me alone, in a room full of bazillions doctors. I am about to die, I thought as the doctors hazily attempted to try and save me somehow. And then...then there was black.**


	7. The Zodiac and Thier God

_You're the last_, I heard someone say to Yuki. I was in a warm, black space, listening to the words bieng spoken. I heard Yuki gasp slightly, and then Machi asked "President?"

_Thank you...for keeping the very distant promise...Thank you._

I saw all of the Zodiac animals, gathered around a man with extremely long hair. It didn't look bad on him...instead, it looked beautiful. I was holding the rat in his hands.

And then the voice said: _Once upon a time, in a particular place, there lived a person. That person was alone for a very, long, long, long time. After leaving the mountain and seeing all of the other people, the person still was lonely. Even with a thousand powers and a thousand lives, the person learned that such things were different from hat other people had.. And thus...developed a fear of the other people. A fear of getting hurt. But despite of the person many talents, that person was terrified of bieng different from the others. One day, a cat came to visit the person. The person was bewildered by the visit, and the cat humble bowed his head and said "I have watched you for a long time, You are a very mysterious person. I can not stop bieng attracted to you. Please...even though I am a mere stray cat...allow me to stay by your side." _

"_Please, Lord God..."_

_And from that day on, the cat never left the person side, not even for a moment. And that made the person very, very happy. Suddenly, the person had an idea. _

"_Maybe..maybe I can get along with others, as long as they aren't people. If they know the same feelings I do, then maybe I can have a pleasant banquet with them." _

_And so, the person wrote many, many invitations, and sent them all over the earth. _

_As a result, twelve animals came to the persons banquet. God was then sorrounded by thirteen animals in all, and they held a banquet every night. They danced, they laughed, and God, too, laughed for the first time in his long, long life. The moon would silently watch over the inhuman banquets. _

_One night, the cat collapsed. His life had given out. Nothing could be done. The other animals cried. And then they realized that someday, everyone would die. The banquets would come to an end. No matter how dazzling they were, no matter how precious or beautiful they were all, they would all come to an end. God drew a singla sake dish and recited a single chant. He made the cat drink, and then God spoke to everyone in a calm voice: "Our bond, I will now make eternal. Even if all of us here die or rot away, we will all be tied together by an eternal bond. It won't matter how many times we die, or how many times we are reborn. The bond will be a permanant one, never ceasing to exist. We will all be tied together for eternity, until the end of time and even beyond that. Everyone nodded in response. The first to drink was the rat. Then the ox, then the tiger, and then the rabbit. In order they each drank on thier own will. When finally the boar drank, the cat started to cry, his breath faint. "My Lord...my God...why did you make me drink? I don't want eternity. I don't need permanace." These words were unexpected to both animals and God. They were words of rejection. The animals scolded and admonished the cat, the cats words still devastating them all. Even so, the cat spoke again, his voice faint. _

"_My Lord God...I know it's frightening...but let us accept that all things come to an end. I know it's sad...but let us all accept that everything ends."_

"_My Lord...I know that I only knew you for a short time...but I was happy with that short time. If one more time...we are reborn and we meet again...I don't want to see you underneath the moonlight. I want to see you smiling under the sun. Next time, I don't want to see you with only us there to comfort you. I want to see you with a ring of people, smiling and laughing with them." _

_With the last twitch of his tail, the cat finally died. But no one cared about the cat anymore. They were filled with the sense the cat had betrayed them. Soon, one after another, they died. Until, finally...the dragon was the last to go. God was alone yet again. And then...another day came...when even God died. But God wasn't afraid. He remembered the promise he had made with the others. "Again...We'll hold our banquets...once again, for as long as we wish. I may be sad now, but the others are wiating for me on the other side." With these words, God died. _

_Now it's a story from a long, long, long time ago. Everyone has forgotten thier first memories...and thier first promises. _


	8. The Final Banquet

I opened my eyes, seeing the usual white cieling. "...what...is goin'...on?" I pushed myself using my trembling arms, and saw, to my surprise, buquets of flowers. One was all roses, with red and white roses. One was completed with tulips that must've been imported from Holland. There were a stack of letters and cards awaiting for my to open. There were even balloons and little teddy bears, both of which made my question who exactly would bring a dieng person a bunch of teddies and balloons.

Each of the cards basically said for me to get better soon. The teddies were all different colors, like lime green, black, and violet.

The next few days after that weren't too bad. The doctors said I was a living miracle, saying that I had survived organ failures, seizuring, and collapsing in a course of five days. They even had to use the paddles on me once, which didn't surprise me at all.

Tohru, Kisa, Haru, Yuki, Kyo, and Akito visited me, but mostly Akito and Tohru. I have to say that Akito's a pretty cool kinda person.

I got out of the hospital after nine days of bieng in the hospital. Akito then said she wanted to have one final banquet with all of us, including Kyo and me.

There, at the banquet, she told us all that she was a woman and that she was sorry. She also told us that we could do whatever we wanted now. We could move away, do basically whatever we wanted. I'm sure it surprised everyone else there, but I wasn't too surprised. I'd heard it all before, anyway.

All of us have grown old, and most of us are married and have grandchilderen. I haven't married, and nethier has Hatori or Shigure. No surprise there, with Shigure still bieng a perv. I saw Tohru and Kyo yesterday, and they seemed happy enough. I also saw her daughter and granddaughter, and they reminded me of Tohru and Kyo.

Now, if you'll excuse me, me and Akito have an appointment to have dinner and watch the stars together.


End file.
